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Fun with Thanksgiving Leftovers

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always liked to play with my food.  Like most kids, I liked to make mashed potato moats for the gravy but that soon escalated to stirring ketchup into mashed potatoes until it was just the right shade of pink and then festooning it with a necklace of green peas.  When I was a bit older, I made an entirely blue dinner.

It should be easy to understand, then, why having a wealth of Thanksgiving leftovers is an especially fun time in my house.  The day after Thanksgiving we enjoyed the obligatory let’s have “another one just like the other one” with a delicious instant replay of the previous day’s feast.  But then, the rest of the leftovers were mine for the creating.

Creation #1:  Yuba-Wrapped Thanksgiving Rolls. (photo above) I wrapped leftover seitan, stuffing, white and sweet potatoes, and green beans in small sheets of yuba and cooked them in a skillet with a little oil to brown.  I then finished them up in the oven while I made a dipping sauce with leftover cranberry sauce combined with ginger, soy sauce, and sriracha.  All I can say is, “Wow!”

Creation #2:  The Leaning Tower of Thanksgiving. I stacked layers of all the Thanksgiving dishes into one mighty tower and surrounded it with a cranberry-port wine sauce made with leftover brown gravy, cranberry sauce, and a generous amount of port. To serve, I sliced it right down the middle and arranged each half, cut side down on a plate with more of the luscious sauce. Leftovers never tastes so good.

This is my 20th Vegan Mofo post!  I’m excited that I made it this far, considering what a crazy-busy month this has been.  Tomorrow, Vegan Mofo ends with the announcement of the winner of my Party Vegan giveaway.  If you haven’t entered yet, do it now — contest closes at midnight tonight!

{ 8 comments… add one }

  • andrea schleber October 1, 2013, 9:12 pm

    I became vegan on mothers day this year and have not looked back…the only thing is…I was the Queen of Dips amongst friends…and known for my knock out buffalo wing dip etc etc…nobody could top me. Now…I am a bit lost, and have not had a large get together since February just because I haven’t mastered these new ingredients….any help would be greatly appreciated..i would like to remain a contender at this years Grand Dip Off…but my confidence is lacking…:) crossing my fingers to win…even just a smidge of advice! lol

    • Robin October 2, 2013, 10:53 pm

      No worries, Andrea. Just remember: anything dairy can do, non-dairy can do better. Get yourself some non-dairy versions of sour cream, cream cheese, or whatever else you used in your dips and substitute them in equal measure for the dairy version.

  • Lesley November 6, 2013, 6:05 pm

    I just came across your blog. I’ve never heard of Yuba and since I’ve gone wheat free I miss my spring rolls. These look very close to what I used to make. Do you have a recipe for them? I would love to know more about working with the yuba sheets and if it’s similar to spring roll wraps.

    • Robin November 7, 2013, 9:20 am

      You can buy yuba sheets in Asian markets in the frozen food section. The ones I buy are extremely large (you can see them if the foreground in this post: http://robinrobertson.com/yuba-wrapped-vegan-haggis-3/
      They also sell yuba in smaller sizes and you could certainly use them as wrappers for the fried type of spring rolls. I would recommend rice paper wrappers (that just need a little soaking) for the raw-type spring rolls.
      Yuba is the thin “skin” that remains after you heat soy milk. I’ve never made it myself, since ready-made yuba is inexpensive and easy to find.

  • Lesley November 7, 2013, 7:22 pm

    I bought some frozen AFC bean curd sheets today at an Asian Market. I went home and made spring rolls with them. I had defrosted them and they were pliable not crisp and dried, so I didn’t soak them. I sprayed them with oil and baked them in the oven but they were very rubbery and chewy, not at all like the spring rolls I’m used to. Should I have soaked the sheets first to soften them more? They were crisp but looked very plasticky. I really want them to come out right, any suggestions?

    • Robin November 7, 2013, 9:29 pm

      Lesley, A lot depends on how thick the bean curd sheets are. The ones I’ve used to make “spring rolls” are extremely thin and pliable — definitely no soaking needed. And they fry up nice and crisp. If the yuba you have is thicker than that, then I don’t think they will have the same texture. You might try pan-frying them in a little oil (instead of baking them) to see if that helps.

  • Kate November 15, 2013, 1:44 pm

    I am newly vegan and am absolutely loving it! Where can i find the recipes for the delicious thanksgiving food that you used in your tower?!??

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